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@@MichaelMantion Mix a 1:4 ratio of either Carnuba or Unbleached Beeswax and Boiled Linseed Oil over low heat on the stove until the wax fully melts and is able to be stirred in. Allow the resulting mixture to cool to a paste in a container. Buff the paste onto the wood with a cloth the same way you would wax on your car until you have a thin coating, then hit it with a heat gun or put it in the oven on its lowest setting for a few minutes to help it penetrate the grain. Afterward, let it cure/dry for 5-10 days depending on how thick your coating was. Once fully cured its food-safe, and hypoallergenic. Beeswax makes the finish _mildly_ antimicrobial. Carnuba wax will make the finish harder. If you're worried about the chemical treatment used to make boiled linseed oil, raw linseed oil can be used as well, but it will make the drying/curing time longer.
@@MichaelMantion There is good reason to be concerned over current boiled linseed oils sold at the big box home center stores since most of them use metal based chemical salts to harden them instead of actually boiling them. This can lead to developing manganism. Here is an excerpt from the CDC on the health risks: "Continued exposure can damage the lungs, liver, and kidneys. Exposure to manganese dust or fumes can also lead to a neurological condition called manganism. Manganism’s symptoms, similar to those of Parkinson’s disease, may include the following: trembling, stiffness, slow motor movement and potentially severe depression, anxiety and hostility." So even if you wear gloves when applying it you can still develop some pretty serious health issues. You definitely don't want cobalt and manganese salts on any food preparation surfaces or utensils as they can cause illness similar to Glyphosate based weed killers and potentially worse with the lung, liver and kidney damage. Heritage Natural Finishes and Earthpaint are two sources of Boiled Linseed Oil/Stand Oil that still are actually pure linseed oil which has been heated to near 300 °C/572 °F for a few days in the complete absence of air and are safe for food contact surfaces. So modern chemical companies have found a way to mess up a 5,000 year old product.
My Grandfather used to use a home made concoction of boiled linseed oil, turpentine, and bees wax. You mix equal amounts of oil and turpentine and then add an equal amounts of melted beeswax in a glass jar with a lid. Cap the jar and place it in a sunny window or any other place that will keep it warm for a day. This will allow the beeswax to be totally dissolved. To apply wipe it on the wood surface, wait 15 minutes, and buff it out. Another variation is to use 50/50 carnauba wax with bees wax if you wish to and then combine it as an equal part to the turpentine linseed mixture. Grandfather told me that the turpentine acted as a carrier to thin the bees wax so that it would penetrate into the wood fibres instead of just coating the surface of the wood.
As a professional finisher for many years, I can tell you that boiled linseed oil sanded in with 600 grit on the 1st coat, sanded in with 1000 grit on the 2nd coat, followed by 1 or more straight linseed oil and after curing for 4 or more days, apply any good paste wax does makes a very elegant finish, If boiled linseed oil finish is used in a high humidity area like a bathroom, or in the cabin of a boat, or anywhere in Florida, the finish will mildew horrendously. Boiled linseed oil is a food source for mildew, and requires a high degree of maintenance to prevent mildew from growing. Thanks again for the great videos.
Gunsmiths have for many years used a boiled linseed oil finish on wood furniture on firearms. The application process could not be easier: place a few drops of oil on the sanded-smooth wood, and use 600-grit paper to rub it in. The paper generates a slurry of wood dust and oil that fills the pores and levels the surface. Multiple applications over several days creates a glass-smooth surface that is completely weatherproof. The finish looks a foot deep. And if the wood gets scratched, repeat the process over the damaged area and the repair is virtually invisible.
As a firefighter please advise your followers that "Boiled Linseed Oil generates heat as it dries, which can cause the spontaneous combustion of materials contacted by this product. Oily rags, waste, and other oily materials contacted by Boiled Linseed Oil can cause spontaneous combustion fires if not handled properly". Place oily rags into metal containers, or layout to ventilate so heat does not build up. Thanks. John. P
For a really smooth finish I would like to share a tip I got from a specialist paint store Duller&Co. After applying and letting it soak in, lightly hand sand with 800 grit wet & dry paper. The wet sanding removes the lifted fibres due to the oiling. Depending on how hard the wood, you can get extremely smooth finishes.
I know I'm coming late to this video but I really liked it. And I have subscribed to your channel. You talk about this not being a finish for a really used surface. I'm looking at making myself a desk. I'm thinking about using Oak and Black Walnut. Would you recommend this finish or can you recommend a better one. Thank you so much
@@robertsprague5440 I applied a comparable finish to a plane tree dining room table it is hard wearing and quite resistant to staining just a wet wipe is enough in most cases. The main reason I like this type of finish is the ease of application and it is easy to maintain. I am thinking of refreshing it this summer after 10 years of wear. Just a light sanding and re-application including the 800 grit wet sand.
I have been using this finish for 60yrs and was introduced to it by a very old gunsmith. I thin it a bit with turps and also ad oil based artist tints to give colour to what shade I want. Also I rub each coat down with 0000 steel wool that burnishes the surface. The best tint I have found that gives the most beautiful shades is burnt umber available in any arts store. The trick is to rub a spot until it gets hot and move on. This acts to polymerize the finish a bit with each application. For a truly stunning finish I apply and rub down about 8 times leaving at least 24hrs before hitting it again. What I do is called a hand rubbed oil finish and takes this simple finish to exceptional quality. Its hard work but you will only ever have to do it once. I usually top it off with paste wax too.
I just realized that the walnut blanket chest I made as a senior at Kent State is 50 years old! I made it for the girl who would become my wife. I used boiled linseed oil and turpentine mixed 50/50, just as Mr. Heasley taught us in Woods 2. I’m looking at it in our living room now, and it still looks beautiful! N.E.OH Bob
As a novice woodworker I have been finishing my projects nearly exactly in this way, but with danish oil (which is just linseed+something else) with paste wax on top. I thought I was breaking some major rules since I hadn't seen this combo from any of the usual RUclips woodworking suspects, but I kept doing it since I was getting great results. Thanks for codifying my approach!
I like Danish oil, but it annoys me that it turns to jelly if not all used within a couple of months of opening the can. James mentions it having a lot of solvent, so perhaps that is evaporating - I wonder if it would last longer if stored upside down? I'll try that with my next can.
@@TrevorDennis100 a cautious sniff test comparison will probably let you guess the solvent. Odds are, a splash of the right solvent will rejuvenate the jellied stuff.
Danish Oil irritatingly has no formal definition beyond typically a drying (polymerizing oil), a resin, and a solvent, though some brands report containing only the oil in the contents. Others contain either polymerized linseed oil or tung oil, a resin that dries relatively hard, and a solvent, and possibly metals to speed drying. If you want to dress food bearing surface (cutting boards, salad bowls) look for brands that state they are food-safe. These don't contain the metals that are used to speed the drying process. That said, any brand works well on any kind of wood. I use it as a finish, and as a treatment on tool handles that aren't varnished.
@@TrevorDennis100 The jelly is the finish curing, not solvent evaporating and can't be reversed. Keep your container closed as much as possible. Pour what you'll need into a small container and work from that. less mess if you knock it over than the full can. 😉
James, I came across this vid and absolutely loved it. I am almost entirely a wood turner and knew very little about shellac. It will be on the next bowl i turn. Not only did I find it informative but I really liked you presentation and style. So much so that I am going back and watching all of your vids and enjoying every one. Although I no longer do much flat work, I really like them all. I realize you are not turning much, any vids about it would be appreciated. Joe
I recently made my own wood finish by mixing terpentine, bees wax and boiled linseed oil in equal parts (actually a bit more wax) in a container and letting it sit for a day. It all mixes very well and I put it on for a final sheen after "soaking" the wood in boiled linseed oil once, like you showed here.
hmm, id say the turps probably boiled off the final result, leaving you with beeswax and a little extra oil. However, sounds like your combo probably made it quite easy to apply and, maybe, you could skip the soaking step. id be interested to see the results from just this combo as a finish
I made my own cutting board finish using 50/50 beeswax and carnauba wax, then 4 to 1 ratio with food grade mineral oil, and finish with a couple of ounces of lemon essential oil as an antimicrobial. It gives me a beautiful finish and a hard wax, that I also use on my jointer bed, drill press table, wood handle screwdrivers, and other tools. I use that stuff on everything.
@@reddogknives have you ever tried carnauba and linseed oil , or Tung oil . I'm not suggesting it , I've never done it but interested in the result . Maybe in the fall when I get some extra cash I will
Believe it or not, this same recipe is used in blacksmithing to coat hot iron with. It creates that glossy look and helps keep the rust away rather well. I use it and have two container of it on my shelf.
My dad taught me this finish along with a number of other traditional finishes that he'd learned as a young sailor in the 1930s. Some of them have beautifully stood the test of time.
My Dad, also a sailor but from the late 40’s, used boiled linseed oil and mineral spirits. He said it was essential, with the humidity at sea, to get the oil into the wood.
This formula is similar to one we were required to use 30 years ago on some millwork, made of Cypress, which we were restoring on one of the Spanish Missions in San Antonio years ago. The National Park Service historian gave me the recipe, which consisted of 1 gal boiled linseed oil, 1 qt of turpentine, and 1 oz of beeswax. Melt the wax into the blended oil and turpentine, and apply 2-3 coats. My painter liked this product so much that he used it for the rest of his life (20 years), said it was better than anything on the market. Over time, he modified it slightly by increasing the turpentine to 1 gal, making it a 1-to-1 mix, and substituting paraffin for the beeswax.
Most beginning craft woodworkers back in the 70s quickly discovered the ease of application and good looks of a boiled linseed oil finish, and almost as quickly discovered they had to protect it with paste wax. (Paste wax is a good idea over ANY finish, by the way.) Few of those woodworkers went on to discover the drawbacks of an oil finish. I was lucky. I worked as a furniture and wooden objects conservator for 18 years through the 80s and 90s, so I had a chance to learn the science behind all sorts of finishes and saw hundreds of examples of old furniture with old finishes still more or less intact. One thing stands out… when a linseed oil finish gets old enough it turns black and sticky, and there’s no way to stop it from doing so. The reason is simple. The long-chain molecules that are part of any oil break down under the influence of light and heat. The chains get shorter and shorter, and as they do so the finish gradually dims and gets less protective. Eventually the sticky parts harden as they too break down, and then you’ve got an impenetrable mess of opaque ugliness which only chemicals or abrasion will remove. Nobody who builds a few pieces for themselves or for friends will ever see this happen, of course, because it takes decades. But if their work is good enough and liked enough to survive, it will happen. The solution, of course, is to avail ourselves of all those improvements made to finish products over the decades. They’re called improvements for a reason, ya know. ;-) By the way, after 45 years of experience, my favorite finish for my own furniture is shellac (made from shellac flakes and alcohol; don’t buy the ready-made gunk) topped with paste wax. The finish is easily maintained with a little more wax from time to time and can be renewed easily to whatever extent is required. It is not resistant to water or alcohol stains, so I don’t use it where that might happen-polyurethane is your best bet there-but for all else, shellac and wax is the best.
Thanks Rob! Interesting to read about the science. So, what do you think about the comment above yours, from @The devil in the circuit, about linseed applied in multiple layers with 600-grit sandpaper? I still use linseed to preserve all tool handles such as axes, shovels, spades, rakes, brooms, etc and my ancient handed-down high-quality hand-saws and planes. I guess the difference is that these things, and gun-stocks, are handled and wiped down frequently whereas furniture legs, book-cases, display cases, pianos and such, are not, at least to the same degree. I suppose the frequent handling and renewal prevents that sticky goo accumulation.
I have seen this happen in a short period of time. I used Boiled Linseed oil that had been in a part-used plastic bottle for a good few years (it looked a bit crystalline and gungy). I put it on two rubberwood handles on a shed. The interior handle dried to a beautiful finish (still looks the same years later) but the outer handle turned a horrible charcoal black within a week of exposure to the elements. I thought it was mould! Every day is a school day! 👏😀
@@topspeed250k5 Hi. I’ve also used linseed oil and other drying oils for tool handles. It works for the reasons you mentioned. I once scraped some kind of hard finish off a German made wood bodied plane and then dropped the plane body into a container of linseed oil for a few weeks until bubbles stopped coming out of the wood. It took a lot of whiping and drying to get to where it could be handled, but it felt great from then on. I see no advantage to sanding while applying the oil. In fact you’re liable to get quite a bit of the sandpaper grit in the wood pores along with wood dust and oil. There are lots of old traditional finishes that are perhaps best left in the past.
I've never been able to get shellac to look good (and last). Not disagreeing with you. Lots of people love shellac, so it's clearly an operator error here. I've had really good luck with lacquer from an HVLP sprayer though. I used to cut and buff polyurethane for a similarly good finish before I got the sprayer. LOTS of work, but it does look nice and it's durable.
I used to use lacquer, poly and other finishes. When I discovered Osmo, a great oil wax finish, I've stuck with it since. Easy to apply, goes a long way, and also easy to fix any issues - just sand and reapply. Expensive but worth it.
I was thinking the same thing. We finished our countertops with Rubio and it really has nearly the exact same look as this in one step with some additional material science to make the finish more durable. I guess the major difference is that the linseed oil and paste wax are an order of magnitude cheaper.
Been doing this for over 50 years. Tung oil also works quite well. If I want deeper penetration I mix in some natural citrus based solvent that "carries" the oil deep into the wood and then evaporates. These two oils are good to use on cutting boards because they are non-toxic. Tung and Linseed oil are considered to be "drying" oils, but they don't actually dry, they polymerize when exposed to the air. All oil based paints used to be based on linseed oil before alkaloids came around, and it is still used today. Especially in artists' oil paints. I have about 20 antique quart cans of boiled linseed oil that I picked up for free at my local county "hazardous waste recycling center" over the years. The younger generations find it in grandpa's garage and don't know what it is. A lot of the Danish Oil Finishes like Watco are linseed oil mixed with a solvent and some stain. Anyone can make their own for a lot less cost. Tung oil is traditionally used on marine applications (teak wood). References to tung oil turn up as early as 400 B.C. in the writings of Confucius. Chinese sailors used it to waterproof their ships' timbers, and mixed with mortar it is still used today to caulk boats. Linseed oil that is not "boiled" will not "dry". The un-boiled Linseed Oil is used to make window glazing putty because it stays pliable for a long long time. Glazing putty needs to stretch and shrink with the temperature swings. Boiled Linseed Oil mixed with fine crushed limestone was used by the old-timers to fill nail and knot holes in wood. It will withstand the weather well in exterior applications.
I use raw food grade flaxseed (linseed) oil on all my knife, axe and tool handles. It does polymerize (dry)...but it takes days to weeks depending on the weather. Put it on hot in very thin coats. No toxic chemicals to worry about...and it leaves handles feeling soft and smooth unlike any other finish I've ever used. I use it on anything that touches food, or comes in extended direct contact with bare skin.
Once the flaxseed oil has been removed from flaxseed, it goes rancid quickly when exposed to the oxygen in the air. This is why it is sold in health food stores in the refrigerated section in small dark brown bottles. It has something to do with the high Omega 3 content and free radicals. I'm not making any judgements here, one way or the other, because I've never used it. But it is something you might watch out for. As long as you are not eating your tool handles, it should be safe.@@Master...deBater
Barns are traditionally red because a hundred or more years ago, paints were not widely available. Farmers used BLO and added ferrous oxide (rust) to discourage insects and fungi, which turned the mixture red. BTW, as you probably know, despite its name, boiled linseed oil is not boiled. Keep the great info coming!
In Scandinavia they traditionally used ox blood for painting their wooden buildings with. It's fairly bizarre when you think about it, but one of the reasons for doing so was because people were very poor back then, especially those who lived in the countryside, and by using their' blood for paint they literally used each and every part of the cows after they were slaughtered.
@George Vinson Boiled linseed oil is generally not boiled but chemically treated. You can, however, make boiled linseed oil naturally by heating it-if you know what you're doing. It is extremely volatile when it gets heated and shouldn't actually boil but only come close. But look up woodbywright here on youtube. He makes his own BLO and paste wax. He has several excellent videos on his process.
Can you still get ferrous oxide? If so do you know where? That is the only problem that I have seen with using BLO outside is that it does seem to get fungus if it is in an area that doesn't dry quickly
Don't forget if you get a small dent in your wood put a damp rag over it and use an iron to raise the grain of the wood back up. You may have to do a little light sanding and refinishing but it works great.
I learned this technique from a dear friend who also happens to be a master craftsman. If you were to look up the definition of "Renaissance Man", his face would appear. Rocking chairs, custom lamps, hand made rice paper, stained glass, brews his own whiskey, etc. Completely Zen as well, gave me the self confidence to pursue my ambitions when he said, "You have all the skills, you just have to decide on what you want." One of the most profound realizations I have had in my 50+ years. I turned a small piece of curly maple while I was visiting and used the very same technique to finish the project. The only difference is that he uses colored waxes instead of paste wax. I was stunned at how the piece turned out and my wife absolutely loved it. Thank you for sharing this wonderful finishing technique 👍 I have since used it for several projects and have absolutely loved the results. The recipients of said gifts have been thrilled as well. I look forward to using this technique on many future projects.
Be careful when disposing of your oil soaked paper towel or cloth. Sometimes if thrown in a bin and covered with other waste the organic oil can spontaneously combust causing a bin fire in your work area.
ABSOLUTELY! ...almost burned down my shop a few years ago that way. Luckily I was there and put out the fire. Soak them in water and tie them up in plastic bags.
It's not common sense that oils evaporate exothermically, especially when water evaporates in the opposite way. The what? This isn't 1939, most people don't handle piles of greasy rags.
Thinning the oil with mineral spirits for the first few coats (in decreasing amounts for each coat) can let the oil penetrate deeper. Was recommended by a professional canoe paddle maker.
Better yet dump the petroleum based and go to pure gum spirits....gum spirits are derived from wood it's the sap of gum trees distilled down.... works great on paper towel as tack rag to remove dust etc
Ok I messed up, what can I do to fix my cutting board I let a thick coat sit over night and yes, it’s gummie thick and sticky how can I save this board
@@nickmundo8265 I did this once (was soaking a long abused cutting board and forgot about it). It was with flax oil (the culinary non boiled version of linseed oil). As I recall I left it to completely harden (it took a long time) and then I sanded it and got decent results. It looked pretty bad during the process but eventually it looked ok. I think I maybe used 0000 steel wool toward the end (?) . It did have some areas where the sanded finish got stuck in the pores but I think I gave it a thin coat on top of all that and it seemed to diminish how bad these looked. I have re-coated several times now as it was used and you can't really tell what happened- very pretty cutting board (and it was a dried up warping mess of a cutting board when I started). Hope you have similar luck!
I once refinished a walnut rifle stock by making a vacuum chamber out of 4” PVC pipe and covering the stock completely with linseed oils, then maintaining 10 to 12 in/Hg vacuum for about a week, which pretty much ensured the oil penetrated the entire piece of wood to its core. But the following week, I was wiping it 7-8 times a day EVERY day until it stopped weeping. I then cured it in a 200F oven for about 9 hours and it is as weatherproof as a synthetic stock, but far more attractive, and the extra weight makes it a far more stable piece.
Nice, Thanks. Have been using Raw Linseed oil and Bees wax for softwood. As well as boiled linseed and Beeswax for hard wood. Use a hair dryer on low heat to melt the wax into the surface.
Thank you for your ever interesting videos. Two things: this type of coating requires future maintenance. Shellac for example does not. But indeed is a layer on top of the wood. Also: linseed oil soaked cloths can spontaneously combust. So they should be rinsed or disposed of carefully. You don't want your workshop on fire.
I work at a furniture factory. They imprint this on new employees very strongly! As a traditional hand tools woodworker I knew this already, but it cannot be said too often! One of the halls of the factory burned down a couple of decades ago because of an employee not treating the used rags correctly.
An old wooden boat restorer recommends that the linseed oil be applied after being heated. I bought a small crock pot from a thrift store and tried it. The heated oil seemed to be absorbed faster and apparently deeper than at room temperature. One more thing, the linseed oil soaked rags are very susceptible to ignition, so dispose of them with care.
I like a coat of mineral oil, allowed to sink in, followed by a waxing made of mineral oil and white bees wax, melted togather in a microwave to create a creamy mix. I use this on the cutting boards I make.
When using linseed oil you should always mention the fire hazard rags drenched in the product pose, when crumpled up. Especially on warmer days scalding can occur in those rags, which eventually can lead to spontaneous combustion. Therefore, always leave rags used for linseed oil outside, and fold them out to dry, before you throw ‘m in the bin.
Truth be told, my neighbor and I used to collect waste vegetable oil for his converted diesel truck. One summer we spent the afternoon cleaning his garage up (he was a bit of a clean freak at times) and ended up having a large piece of cardboard that had some slight spillage of oil on it sit in the sun at the garage door entrance. Nobody seemed to notice but I happened to glance down about an hour into us cleaning and saw that the cardboard had burning embers that were working their way across the board. I called my neighbor and we were stunned to see this working its way across the cardboard. There was absolutely not ignition source anywhere except the sun. Had that been left alone I'll bet that would have been a blaze in short time. Yes it's not linseed oil but oil soaked non the less and the sun will start fires. I'll NEVER forget that day.
Working in an auto shop, we had a special air tight container for the oily-greasy rags. It was like a flip top trash can, that sealed air tight when the lid was closed. A sealed metal paint can works to store the oily rags over night, if you want to keep using them.
I did a laminated gun stock with tung oil. First I did it with just the thick coat and let it dry for a week, and 0000 steel wool and it came out to the most beautiful satin finish. It felt amazing too. I should have left it like that, but I went for another coat, and it came out a really nice semi gloss, but for a gun I should have stopped at the first coat. I like Tung oil now. Just have to really wait a long time for it to dry
I have an old wood table outside. It is in a covered area. I oil it on a regular basis, as needed. I love the look and feel. Any thoughts on products applied on wood used outside?
I think the key phrase “not a lot of protection”…lol. I’ve used linseed oil, tung oil, etc…I really like Shellac…but I now always put something more durable in top…another issue is the amount of ongoing maintenance to maintain these natural finishes…
Durability is only important if you cannot reasonably refinish the project. I like using shellac for food bearing surfaces because it's safe and easy to reapply due to the product never curing, so the solvent in the reapplication dissolves the old finish.
I don't know what it is, but I have never been able to get shellac to work properly. Or maybe I'm expecting too much. I've gotten it to look good initially, but things left touching the dried finish will "sink" into it over time, leaving a permanent impression in the surface. I'm afraid to even try it on anything important these days.
When I was a kid on the farm we use to sand the house for painting and we would always linceed oil the bare timber before painting . We would even mix some of the oil with a primer coat , all the paint was oil based back then . Love the smell of it .
Stumpy, I’ve been using a similar coating for a while now recommended from a good friend. It is an equal mixture of BLO, Tung oil, Teak oil and mineral spirits, followed up by a wax finish. I am very pleased with this method.
Clear and useful instructions. Now I remember my father who was not a carpenter using this same mixture to make wood look even more beautiful and help maintain it . Great video .
I've been using hemp seed oil mixed with beeswax for a food safe finish. Hemp seed oil does polymerize, so the final product is very much like blo+wax, but it does take ages to fully cure. I highly recommend it for food safe applications.
@@SutchiroPete because I've essentially made a paste wax, it's 'dry' to the touch in a couple hours, so the cure time isn't a problem. It gets more durable as it dries of course, but during the cure time, it's not sticky or malodorous. Hemp seed oil alone wouldn't cure quickly either, but it would be both sticky and smelly during the cure, because hemp seed oil does go rancid. The beeswax seems to prevent that. There may be a better solution and I'd love to hear other people's experiments!
My favorite finish is boiled linseed oil, 2 coats full absorbed, light hand sand with fine grit, tack cloth dust off, then a few coats of oil based poly for actual protection. Looks amazing if you like a natural look like I do, while still being durable.
A finish that is hard to mess up, you say... perhaps even foolproof... you have my attention. All kidding aside, I am a devotee of the church of BLO. I haven't tried the wax part yet, so this will be fun. I have a project I am finishing right now and plan to BLO, so it will be a perfect chance to try out the wax.
Watco Danish oil is my go to for large projects while my self-made shellac is my go to for anything smaller than amazon shipping box then wax on as a final coat unless it's a high polish. I want to try the rubio mono-coat and the other well known ones, but they're just a bit to expensive for my taste.
Watco Danish oil is my go-to for most of my wood projects. I like formby's tung oil you can get a nice protective finish with a few coats and a little bit of sanding in between.
I usually take the linseed oil and mix it half and half with paint thinner. It takes a few more coats but if you let it dry for a day between coats you don't get that stickiness.
I made my own cutting board finish using 50/50 beeswax and carnauba wax then 4 to 1 ratio with food grade mineral oil and finish with a couple of ounces of lemon essential oil as an antimicrobial. It gives me a beautiful finish and a hard wax that I also use on my jointer bed, drill press table, wood handle screwdrivers, and other tools. I use that stuff on everything.
I'd encourage those of you who are curious about trying different finishes to also try raw linseed oil. I especially like using it for things like cutting boards or handles of things that you handle with your bare hands a lot because you can get food grade oil that gives you an extra assurance that it does not have toxic components added to it. Most all boiled linseed oil unless it states otherwise uses chemical driers that are somewhat toxic (there are several brands that offer BLO that is supposed to be free of those and is food safe). According to a manufacturer I talked to years ago even some raw linseed oil has chemical separators in it and they told me not to use their raw linseed oil on bowls, cutting boards etc that would be used for food prep. I buy a high quality culinary "flax seed oil" from Barleans (linseed oil is from the flax plant). It's expensive enough that you don't want to use it on big projects but for small cutting boards etc it's not bad. The downside is that it is PAINFULLY slow to dry and even more so if it is put on thick. But that downside is also an upside in the sense that it is so slow to cure that it has lots of time to soak deeply into the wood. I know a guy who was friends with an older British guy who was trained as a woodworker way back in the day when wooden hand planes were used commercially and he wouldn't use anything but raw linseed oil on his planes for exactly that reason. If he was rehabing a wooden plane that had been abused he would turn it on its end so the wood grain was vertical and put it in a container with a half inch of raw linseed oil and let it sit there and slowly pull the oil up through its fibers and apparently it would suck quite a bit up. Anyway , you really need to have somewhere clean to let it sit for weeks or even a month. But once it cures it is a beautiful and great finish. Once you get the wood penetrated well the first time and cured all it needs is a thin coat now and then which will cure much more quickly (though still slower than other finishes)
Hi, may i know your experience of the raw linseed oil? i would like to to use raw linseed oil to oil my untreated pine dining table. However, how slow is it for the oil to dry? Cos I certainly need to use the table and can't just keep it there for drying. What is your experience please? Couldn't find much info about raw oil. Most of the people use boiled oil. Thanks a lot!
I love the fact that different finishes have different outcomes and values to them. I went with shellac for my mitre saw station (oak veneer fire doors as the bench tops), and used that same product for the first coat of my mobile project table (1/2" plywood base under 3/4" MDF), using a satin finish poly as the finish on the MDF. What a gorgeous, tough work surface. Such a different story if you're working with actual fine wood though.
Again, great job James. The result you get is exactly what I want on my projects. I find other finishes I have used to be fraught with complications. This is perfect! Thanks!
I have tried, on mahogany, using pumice with oil. I thin the oil with mineral spirits, apply to the surface, then sprinkle on a little pumice. I used a scrap of the same wood to rub the pumice in. This seemed to fill the grain well and has remained smooth after a few more oil applications.
It is important to keep the used rags with linseed oil in a sealed or fireproof container, or even soak them in water, as they can self ignite. This happens because boiled linseed oil goes through an exothermic reaction when it oxidizes and if bundled together, it can produce enough heat to ignite paper towels, sawdust and other flammable materials. I know it's probably common knowledge by now, but it feel it's something that should be said, every time boiled linseed oil is used, because it really is a hazard and one that can really catch you by surprise.
I just lay mine down on concrete or drape them over a trash can edge. The danger just comes from them being balled up and covered up not allowing the heat to leave.
A few years ago up here in Vermont, a 5 million dollar, 8k square foot house got burned down, the week before the owners were going to move in. The floor-finishing crew filled up a few plastic trash containers with linseed rags, and left for the night.
I go up to 1500 and use Maloof’s finish- 1/3 boiled linseed, 1/3 danish oil and 1/3 polyurethane with up to 6 coats to get a mirror finish. Let it harden up for a month then wax. 😍
If anyone is a beginning/amateur woodworker, I encourage you to use oil finishes whenever you can. Film finishes inevitably yellow over time (even the "non-yellowing" kinds) and cloud the surface grain of the wood. The oil requires a little more upkeep, but it will showcase all of your hard work.
I'm not aware that acrylic can yellow. One of the highlights of acrylic plastic is that it does not yellow unlike other plastics. Are you finding that polycrylics are yellowing anyway?
@@scottyhehehe5367 I have yet to find film finish "clear" that does not yellow over time. About 12 years ago I did a 5 year-long test with white sample boards, and cleared them with "uv-resistant" clear wood finishes. By the second year all of them had turned straw color, and by the 5th year they were all tan/muddled light brown. This is a known problem in the flooring industry, where small carpets are places in front of large sliding glass doors. Over the years, even if the best uv-resistant finishes are used, the area under the carpet remains undamaged/darkened, and will not match the rest of the floor when the carpet is moved.
Yes. One of my few go to finishes depend on the result I want. Boiled linseed and paste wax. I’ve been using Minwax finishing wax for over 50 years. Some finishes I’ll only wax, some only oil. But I like both.
@@keithmarlowe5569 not sure. You would probably have to check the label from the manufacturer. It’s usually beeswax carnuba and parafin wax blended in some form. They might add something to facilitate drying. Some are food safe, so perfect for wooden cutting boards and utensils. Wax will seal very well on its own to a point but not like poly. But I feel the finish is much richer than poly. Hope that helps
Great video thanks! I often use a finish which I make by melting beeswax in Linseed or Mineral oil, it really soaks in well and leaves a super smooth lustre too!
Do you use boiled linseed oil beforehand on the wood before that mix? I see a lot of people use boiled linseed oil but doesn’t pure tung oil offer more protection from water? Have you ever tried mixing tung oil with beeswax? I think I’d like to experiment with that.
BLO is a great looking low key finish. Easy to manage and maintain. Years ago after fixing an antique hutch/sideboard door, I had to reapply the second oldest finish known to cabinet and furniture Makers:. The equal parts of BLO, beeswax, and turpentine, warmed and blended in a double boiler affair.... Electric heat I seriously add!!! The British had Wax pellets for "tinting" the color of the finish. Applied "hot" or, good and warm with a boars bristle brush gave a great finish back to the old sideboard. It was a pain in the back side, etc. I haven't used it since. I may if I make a period piece, other wise it's BLO or anything modern!!!
I have made quick water resistant finishes by rubbing the wood with paraffin wax (from a block or plain white candle) then going over it with a heat gun. The wax melts and immediately sinks into the wood.
We opened a new Waldorf school in my town when my kids were little and built all the furniture desks and things and we used olive oil and beeswax which looks like that paste and it was wonderful on the wood and the lasted to this day, which is 30 years
Hey, even I can do that! Another great video how-to. You cover the essentials in a clear, understandable, useful way. Watching the sanding video is definitely a good matching with this one. Together they make for a simple and foolproof way to put a beautiful finish on a project. I agree with you fully - nothing features the beauty of the wood like this finish! Thanks for another excellent (pair of) videos!!
my grandfather taught me to use what he called a jeweler's finish, shellac flakes dissolved in denatured alcohol and raw linseed oil. I still have some bowels I turned on a lathe with this finish after > 60 years.
I just needed to know how to do a “touch-up,” you squeezed it in right at someone’s bitter end (5:39 - 6:00). Thank you, this video was a blast! Certainly added perspective towards of the slew of similar negative comments, overwhelmed with anger at their ‘finished’ results (a lot of ‘wood never drying, and rancid gassy fumes’ 🫣😬). While others ‘finished’ splendidly. See ya! Well, going to watch the ‘sanding tutorial’ first.
I remember an old saying about oil finishes. It went apply the oil once a day for a week, once a week for a month, once a month for a year, and once a year forever. I've tried it for a few pieces, and it works, but it's not fast, and it's not easy.
Since paste wax was not in the picture 5000 years ago, what did they use? Even the linseed oil? I actually anticipated an actual "formula" that was basic and effective back in the day.
You can also use linseed oil to make waterproof tarps and clothing--the traditional "oilcloth". Just make sure to dry it with lots of ventilation, because as others have mentioned oil soaked rags can heat up and pose a fire hazard.
Thank you for this clear and simple explanation of finishing. I do have a couple of questions. Is this finish appropriate for a plywood workbench top? After applying the linseed oil, how long should you wait before applying the paste wax? How does this compare with using a hardwax oil finish? And finally, could teak oil work as well as linseed oil? Thanks, Liz
I used boiled linseed oil and wax on the kitchen cabinets I made for my home. Granted, it looked good when it was initially done. The problem is wax requires constant maintenance. The odds are you’re not going to do it. At least not as often as it needs to be done. I finally stripped all the wax using alcohol and refinished with polyurethane. I am much happier with the polyurethane look.
I'm going to be finishing some kitchen cabinets and drawers pretty soon. Unfortunately, I also have to remove paint/primer on some of them. The previous homeowners left it as an unfinished project.
This is interesting. Its very similar to another old finish I have been using for years. Using pure turpentine and real bees wax, you melt the wax and dissolve it in the turpentine while stirring. 1/3 of wax per volume to 2/3 of turpentine. You can dissolve more wax or less wax, depending how thick you want it to be. If it is runny enough it will penetrate fairly well. Then you can use a shoe brush to give it some shine after it is dry. If you increase the wax to turpentine ratio, you can also get a paste, which doesn't penetrate much though.
@@mick2spic I don't, it is hard to find a substance more amazing than beeswax to protect the wood. But that doesn't mean it is bad to use oil first. I follow the principle the simplest, the better. Not because I am lazy but for the people who come after me, if they need to restore the wood artifact. The less variables the easier it would be to restore a piece. But that is just my opinion. I just don't know if the oil will interfere with the beeswax over longer periods of time so I don't risk. Linseed oil oxidizes and becomes more acidic over time, which has a negative effect on cellulose, for example on a canvas. That's why oil painters should protect their canvas from their oil painting with some primer or base for the canvas. But that effect might be totally insignificant on a wood surface. Linseed oil also darkens and takes a more yellow tone over time (like decades).
@@AlBarathur Thanks for t he knowledge. I didn’t know that linseed oil had a negative effect on cellulose. I heard about it will make wood darker over time. I was leaning to use tung oil instead for some projects because of that darkening and because it’s supposed to have some water resistance. There was some other comments on this video of a couple others who do mix linseed oil and beeswax. I was thinking maybe I’d try tung oil and beeswax. But maybe I’ll give your nice sounding mix a try. Turpentine sounds like a better quality mineral spirits, do you think so? What brands of turpentine and beeswax do you like? Do you use your mix on everything? How does it hold up on tables? If you tried it on there? Thanks
My Dad was a great fan of boiled linseed oil but I discovered Tried and True Danish Oil and much prefer it. Tried and True is a polymerized linseed oil that I much prefer to boiled linseed oil. You can recoat in 8 hours. I do three coats and often stop there but if I want to add a wax I use beeswax plus Danish oil paste that I make myself since, as a beekeeper, I have lots of pure beeswax to use.
Even though I don't have a shop to work in I still love watching these types of videos; I had to chop the mortis better for a door striker plate so the door would actually close correctly and it made me long to just have a piece of wood to chisel on some more... Hey James, would you do a video on whitewash wood finishes? It was my dad's favorite when he was alive (he was primarily a carpenter that specialized in making custom kitchen cabinets).
I finish walnut gun stocks with linseed oil and mineral spirits. I wrap a partial sheet of 200 grit sandpaper in a 1 1/2" x 3" firm rubber block. Not hard, but stiff enough to bridge and protect softer layers in the grain pattern. My first application is the 200 grit paper and a 50-50 mix of Boiled Linseed Oil (BLO) and Mineral Spirits (MS) sanding with the grain. Once I have the sanded the entire stock with one pass, I let the stock sit for 15 minutes and then wipe the oil off ACROSS the grain. The I set the stock aside, in a manner that allows the entire stock to dry evenly, for 48 hours. From there on I use the same technique but adjust the percentage of BLO and MS down by 10. 60 BLO to 40 MS. I also adjust the sandpaper to a grit that is 200 finer. I continue that reduction pattern of the oil to MS and sandpaper size. All steps are sand with the grain, rest 15 min, wipe across grain, dry for 48 hours. At 90-10 I use 1200 sandpaper. Then I go to 95-5 BLO and 1600 paper. After the 95-5 48 hour dry step I do one more sanding with 100% BLO. After that step and 48 hour dry I simply work 100% linseed oil in with my hands for about a half hour warming the oil and the wood with my hands. Again a 15 minute dry and wipe, this time with the grain. This is a two week project with 7 sanded coats and one sealed coat. The depth of the finish is incomparable. Be it a gun stock or another project it is worth the time and patience. I have also seen this done with hard maple with similar results.
Question for you Stumpy: from what I can tell, most paste waxes are a mixture of wax and oil (usually raw or boiled linseed oil) with some sort of solvent (like turpentine). Is this true for the wax that you're using in the video? So essentially, you're adding extra oil on top of the dried/drying oil. I assume you put the first layer of oil on to really soak into the wood.
I've found the best wax isn't a commercial product but a natural beeswax polish I learned to make from my Dad, who learnt it from his Dad. The beeswax penetrates the wood to seal it and with a couple of coats forms a natural surface polish Beeswax melted into turpentine (not white spirit) is an ancient recipe. Experiment with the proportions until you get a consistency you like. It doesn't matter about dust in the air, either. A couple of coats and a bit of dust is the start of a patina that you only get on old furniture that's been polished over several decades.
I knew it! We both love to wax our wood! That must be what draws me to your videos so strongly; waxing wood! Wait! That came out wrong! Eh, screw it I actually really do love waxing my wood and I don’t care who knows it. I have used the famous yellow cans (pink or tan inside) and every citrus organic beeswax amalgamation available and I will definitely be using more. It’s an honest game changer. Nothing makes someone smile faster than “feeling grain” through a wax finish. (I know it’s a stretch but that’s what people say when you hand them a gift with a wax finish) Thank you as always James! -CY Castor
If you fail to wipe off the linseed oil enough, and end up with a gooey film, no problem! Simply wet some 0000 steel wool with mineral spirits, and rub the film out to a liquid, then you can wipe it off. This happened to me, and after the steel wool and mineral spirits treatment, it turned out awesome. Spend a lot of time rubbing the oil in, and spreading it from the less absorbent parts of the wood to the more absorbent. End grain will often soak up an astonishing amount of oil. Just keep piling it on. I like Danish Oil too. If you like to sand between coats however, be sure to wait at least a week before sanding (may vary depending on environmental conditions), or it will instantly clog up your sandpaper. Even then, use light pressure and clean your sandpaper often using a belt sander eraser (this work on your sanding block too). Using this method, you can get as much luster as you want by adding more applications. With six applications or more, sanding in between, you can end up with a gloss finish. It takes several weeks, but it’s impossible to screw it up, and a little dust is no problem, except for your last coat only
Tung Oil is the method that we use..... for 20-30 years now.... It goes on like paint, by brush, a fine scuff between coats, and there's a finish you'll love.
Raw linseed oil doesn't suffer this, but boiled linseed oil can and has autoignited in rags. It goes through its curing process when exposed to air, which causes it to heat up.
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Can you make a food safe version for things like wood salad bowls, spoons and cutting boards,. Ty
@@MichaelMantion ruclips.net/video/m3orVP3pZ_k/видео.html
Is there any advantage to using a power buffer & will it give you a higher sheen?
@@MichaelMantion Mix a 1:4 ratio of either Carnuba or Unbleached Beeswax and Boiled Linseed Oil over low heat on the stove until the wax fully melts and is able to be stirred in. Allow the resulting mixture to cool to a paste in a container. Buff the paste onto the wood with a cloth the same way you would wax on your car until you have a thin coating, then hit it with a heat gun or put it in the oven on its lowest setting for a few minutes to help it penetrate the grain. Afterward, let it cure/dry for 5-10 days depending on how thick your coating was. Once fully cured its food-safe, and hypoallergenic.
Beeswax makes the finish _mildly_ antimicrobial.
Carnuba wax will make the finish harder.
If you're worried about the chemical treatment used to make boiled linseed oil, raw linseed oil can be used as well, but it will make the drying/curing time longer.
@@MichaelMantion There is good reason to be concerned over current boiled linseed oils sold at the big box home center stores since most of them use metal based chemical salts to harden them instead of actually boiling them. This can lead to developing manganism. Here is an excerpt from the CDC on the health risks: "Continued exposure can damage the lungs, liver, and kidneys. Exposure to manganese dust or fumes can also lead to a neurological condition called manganism. Manganism’s symptoms, similar to those of Parkinson’s disease, may include the following: trembling, stiffness, slow motor movement and potentially severe depression, anxiety and hostility." So even if you wear gloves when applying it you can still develop some pretty serious health issues. You definitely don't want cobalt and manganese salts on any food preparation surfaces or utensils as they can cause illness similar to Glyphosate based weed killers and potentially worse with the lung, liver and kidney damage.
Heritage Natural Finishes and Earthpaint are two sources of Boiled Linseed Oil/Stand Oil that still are actually pure linseed oil which has been heated to near 300 °C/572 °F for a few days in the complete absence of air and are safe for food contact surfaces.
So modern chemical companies have found a way to mess up a 5,000 year old product.
My Grandfather used to use a home made concoction of boiled linseed oil, turpentine, and bees wax. You mix equal amounts of oil and turpentine and then add an equal amounts of melted beeswax in a glass jar with a lid. Cap the jar and place it in a sunny window or any other place that will keep it warm for a day. This will allow the beeswax to be totally dissolved. To apply wipe it on the wood surface, wait 15 minutes, and buff it out. Another variation is to use 50/50 carnauba wax with bees wax if you wish to and then combine it as an equal part to the turpentine linseed mixture.
Grandfather told me that the turpentine acted as a carrier to thin the bees wax so that it would penetrate into the wood fibres instead of just coating the surface of the wood.
How would I first hide the places where somebody poured glue for carpet and it soaked so deep into the bare wood that it can never be sanded out?
@@frostyfrances4700 Oxalic acid might work. It is normally used to bleach out water marks on hardwood floors.
@@oh8wingman - Thanks! I'll try that!
Never use boiled linseed oil with a sponge it will catch fire in a sponge my dad figured that out
As a professional finisher for many years, I can tell you that boiled linseed oil sanded in with 600 grit on the 1st coat, sanded in with 1000 grit on the 2nd coat, followed by 1 or more straight linseed oil and after curing for 4 or more days, apply any good paste wax does makes a very elegant finish, If boiled linseed oil finish is used in a high humidity area like a bathroom, or in the cabin of a boat, or anywhere in Florida, the finish will mildew horrendously. Boiled linseed oil is a food source for mildew, and requires a high degree of maintenance to prevent mildew from growing. Thanks again for the great videos.
As someone comparing finishes for back patio furniture in Florida, this comment was extremely helpful.
@@chrisdetky update? Looking for this info myself
Gunsmiths have for many years used a boiled linseed oil finish on wood furniture on firearms. The application process could not be easier: place a few drops of oil on the sanded-smooth wood, and use 600-grit paper to rub it in. The paper generates a slurry of wood dust and oil that fills the pores and levels the surface. Multiple applications over several days creates a glass-smooth surface that is completely weatherproof. The finish looks a foot deep. And if the wood gets scratched, repeat the process over the damaged area and the repair is virtually invisible.
Interesting! Would this be great for knifehandles?
Not good for knives if you intend to wash them.
@@sttonep242 For small knives, EAR WAX, usually available on each side of your head makes a fine finish. Really.
Ta mate.
Working on the Sako now.
Australia
@@RRaucina finish off with some nose oil, and the finish will be impeccable!
I love your chanel. Please don't stop. I'm amateur woodworker who learn so much from You. I'm really grateful for your advice.
Greetings from Poland
As a firefighter please advise your followers that "Boiled Linseed Oil generates heat as it dries, which can cause the spontaneous combustion of materials contacted by this product. Oily rags, waste, and other oily materials contacted by Boiled Linseed Oil can cause spontaneous combustion fires if not handled properly". Place oily rags into metal containers, or layout to ventilate so heat does not build up. Thanks. John. P
Thanks you.
This is why I would NEVER use Linseed oil . To flammable
Thank you for talking about this.
I think everybody cares about not burning their house down not just firefighters.
I appreciate that
For a really smooth finish I would like to share a tip I got from a specialist paint store Duller&Co. After applying and letting it soak in, lightly hand sand with 800 grit wet & dry paper. The wet sanding removes the lifted fibres due to the oiling. Depending on how hard the wood, you can get extremely smooth finishes.
I know I'm coming late to this video but I really liked it. And I have subscribed to your channel. You talk about this not being a finish for a really used surface. I'm looking at making myself a desk. I'm thinking about using Oak and Black Walnut. Would you recommend this finish or can you recommend a better one. Thank you so much
@@robertsprague5440 I applied a comparable finish to a plane tree dining room table it is hard wearing and quite resistant to staining just a wet wipe is enough in most cases. The main reason I like this type of finish is the ease of application and it is easy to maintain. I am thinking of refreshing it this summer after 10 years of wear. Just a light sanding and re-application including the 800 grit wet sand.
I have been using this finish for 60yrs and was introduced to it by a very old gunsmith. I thin it a bit with turps and also ad oil based artist tints to give colour to what shade I want. Also I rub each coat down with 0000 steel wool that burnishes the surface. The best tint I have found that gives the most beautiful shades is burnt umber available in any arts store. The trick is to rub a spot until it gets hot and move on. This acts to polymerize the finish a bit with each application. For a truly stunning finish I apply and rub down about 8 times leaving at least 24hrs before hitting it again. What I do is called a hand rubbed oil finish and takes this simple finish to exceptional quality. Its hard work but you will only ever have to do it once. I usually top it off with paste wax too.
I just realized that the walnut blanket chest I made as a senior at Kent State is 50 years old! I made it for the girl who would become my wife. I used boiled linseed oil and turpentine mixed 50/50, just as Mr. Heasley taught us in Woods 2. I’m looking at it in our living room now, and it still looks beautiful! N.E.OH Bob
How many times have you had to reapply the finish?
@@unclej3542 Haven’t felt that it needed to be done yet. I think I still have the jar of oil and terp that I use on projects now and then! Bob
As a novice woodworker I have been finishing my projects nearly exactly in this way, but with danish oil (which is just linseed+something else) with paste wax on top. I thought I was breaking some major rules since I hadn't seen this combo from any of the usual RUclips woodworking suspects, but I kept doing it since I was getting great results. Thanks for codifying my approach!
Not breaking any rules. The "Danish oil" is likely just a little bit of natural oil, some polyurethane and a lot of solvent, though.
I like Danish oil, but it annoys me that it turns to jelly if not all used within a couple of months of opening the can. James mentions it having a lot of solvent, so perhaps that is evaporating - I wonder if it would last longer if stored upside down? I'll try that with my next can.
@@TrevorDennis100 a cautious sniff test comparison will probably let you guess the solvent. Odds are, a splash of the right solvent will rejuvenate the jellied stuff.
Danish Oil irritatingly has no formal definition beyond typically a drying (polymerizing oil), a resin, and a solvent, though some brands report containing only the oil in the contents. Others contain either polymerized linseed oil or tung oil, a resin that dries relatively hard, and a solvent, and possibly metals to speed drying. If you want to dress food bearing surface (cutting boards, salad bowls) look for brands that state they are food-safe. These don't contain the metals that are used to speed the drying process. That said, any brand works well on any kind of wood. I use it as a finish, and as a treatment on tool handles that aren't varnished.
@@TrevorDennis100 The jelly is the finish curing, not solvent evaporating and can't be reversed. Keep your container closed as much as possible. Pour what you'll need into a small container and work from that. less mess if you knock it over than the full can. 😉
James, I came across this vid and absolutely loved it. I am almost entirely a wood turner and knew very little about shellac. It will be on the next bowl i turn. Not only did I find it informative but I really liked you presentation and style. So much so that I am going back and watching all of your vids and enjoying every one. Although I no longer do much flat work, I really like them all. I realize you are not turning much, any vids about it would be appreciated. Joe
Stumpy is on fire.. you are prolific with your pontification about the craft and I love it.
I recently made my own wood finish by mixing terpentine, bees wax and boiled linseed oil in equal parts (actually a bit more wax) in a container and letting it sit for a day. It all mixes very well and I put it on for a final sheen after "soaking" the wood in boiled linseed oil once, like you showed here.
hmm, id say the turps probably boiled off the final result, leaving you with beeswax and a little extra oil. However, sounds like your combo probably made it quite easy to apply and, maybe, you could skip the soaking step. id be interested to see the results from just this combo as a finish
the Sam Maloof formula.
I made my own cutting board finish using 50/50 beeswax and carnauba wax, then 4 to 1 ratio with food grade mineral oil, and finish with a couple of ounces of lemon essential oil as an antimicrobial. It gives me a beautiful finish and a hard wax, that I also use on my jointer bed, drill press table, wood handle screwdrivers, and other tools. I use that stuff on everything.
@@reddogknives have you ever tried carnauba and linseed oil , or Tung oil . I'm not suggesting it , I've never done it but interested in the result . Maybe in the fall when I get some extra cash I will
Believe it or not, this same recipe is used in blacksmithing to coat hot iron with. It creates that glossy look and helps keep the rust away rather well. I use it and have two container of it on my shelf.
My dad taught me this finish along with a number of other traditional finishes that he'd learned as a young sailor in the 1930s. Some of them have beautifully stood the test of time.
Do you mind sharing another good long lasting finish you learned? Cheers to your dad
My Dad, also a sailor but from the late 40’s, used boiled linseed oil and mineral spirits. He said it was essential, with the humidity at sea, to get the oil into the wood.
This formula is similar to one we were required to use 30 years ago on some millwork, made of Cypress, which we were restoring on one of the Spanish Missions in San Antonio years ago. The National Park Service historian gave me the recipe, which consisted of 1 gal boiled linseed oil, 1 qt of turpentine, and 1 oz of beeswax. Melt the wax into the blended oil and turpentine, and apply 2-3 coats. My painter liked this product so much that he used it for the rest of his life (20 years), said it was better than anything on the market. Over time, he modified it slightly by increasing the turpentine to 1 gal, making it a 1-to-1 mix, and substituting paraffin for the beeswax.
Most beginning craft woodworkers back in the 70s quickly discovered the ease of application and good looks of a boiled linseed oil finish, and almost as quickly discovered they had to protect it with paste wax. (Paste wax is a good idea over ANY finish, by the way.) Few of those woodworkers went on to discover the drawbacks of an oil finish. I was lucky. I worked as a furniture and wooden objects conservator for 18 years through the 80s and 90s, so I had a chance to learn the science behind all sorts of finishes and saw hundreds of examples of old furniture with old finishes still more or less intact. One thing stands out… when a linseed oil finish gets old enough it turns black and sticky, and there’s no way to stop it from doing so. The reason is simple. The long-chain molecules that are part of any oil break down under the influence of light and heat. The chains get shorter and shorter, and as they do so the finish gradually dims and gets less protective. Eventually the sticky parts harden as they too break down, and then you’ve got an impenetrable mess of opaque ugliness which only chemicals or abrasion will remove. Nobody who builds a few pieces for themselves or for friends will ever see this happen, of course, because it takes decades. But if their work is good enough and liked enough to survive, it will happen. The solution, of course, is to avail ourselves of all those improvements made to finish products over the decades. They’re called improvements for a reason, ya know. ;-)
By the way, after 45 years of experience, my favorite finish for my own furniture is shellac (made from shellac flakes and alcohol; don’t buy the ready-made gunk) topped with paste wax. The finish is easily maintained with a little more wax from time to time and can be renewed easily to whatever extent is required. It is not resistant to water or alcohol stains, so I don’t use it where that might happen-polyurethane is your best bet there-but for all else, shellac and wax is the best.
I learn a lot from you guys.
Thanks Rob! Interesting to read about the science. So, what do you think about the comment above yours, from @The devil in the circuit, about linseed applied in multiple layers with 600-grit sandpaper? I still use linseed to preserve all tool handles such as axes, shovels, spades, rakes, brooms, etc and my ancient handed-down high-quality hand-saws and planes. I guess the difference is that these things, and gun-stocks, are handled and wiped down frequently whereas furniture legs, book-cases, display cases, pianos and such, are not, at least to the same degree. I suppose the frequent handling and renewal prevents that sticky goo accumulation.
I have seen this happen in a short period of time. I used Boiled Linseed oil that had been in a part-used plastic bottle for a good few years (it looked a bit crystalline and gungy). I put it on two rubberwood handles on a shed. The interior handle dried to a beautiful finish (still looks the same years later) but the outer handle turned a horrible charcoal black within a week of exposure to the elements. I thought it was mould! Every day is a school day! 👏😀
@@topspeed250k5 Hi. I’ve also used linseed oil and other drying oils for tool handles. It works for the reasons you mentioned. I once scraped some kind of hard finish off a German made wood bodied plane and then dropped the plane body into a container of linseed oil for a few weeks until bubbles stopped coming out of the wood. It took a lot of whiping and drying to get to where it could be handled, but it felt great from then on. I see no advantage to sanding while applying the oil. In fact you’re liable to get quite a bit of the sandpaper grit in the wood pores along with wood dust and oil. There are lots of old traditional finishes that are perhaps best left in the past.
I've never been able to get shellac to look good (and last). Not disagreeing with you. Lots of people love shellac, so it's clearly an operator error here. I've had really good luck with lacquer from an HVLP sprayer though. I used to cut and buff polyurethane for a similarly good finish before I got the sprayer. LOTS of work, but it does look nice and it's durable.
I used to use lacquer, poly and other finishes. When I discovered Osmo, a great oil wax finish, I've stuck with it since. Easy to apply, goes a long way, and also easy to fix any issues - just sand and reapply. Expensive but worth it.
I was thinking the same thing. We finished our countertops with Rubio and it really has nearly the exact same look as this in one step with some additional material science to make the finish more durable. I guess the major difference is that the linseed oil and paste wax are an order of magnitude cheaper.
@@bullsbarry True - definitely cheaper but not having to do a two-step makes it worth while.
Been doing this for over 50 years. Tung oil also works quite well. If I want deeper penetration I mix in some natural citrus based solvent that "carries" the oil deep into the wood and then evaporates. These two oils are good to use on cutting boards because they are non-toxic. Tung and Linseed oil are considered to be "drying" oils, but they don't actually dry, they polymerize when exposed to the air. All oil based paints used to be based on linseed oil before alkaloids came around, and it is still used today. Especially in artists' oil paints.
I have about 20 antique quart cans of boiled linseed oil that I picked up for free at my local county "hazardous waste recycling center" over the years. The younger generations find it in grandpa's garage and don't know what it is.
A lot of the Danish Oil Finishes like Watco are linseed oil mixed with a solvent and some stain. Anyone can make their own for a lot less cost.
Tung oil is traditionally used on marine applications (teak wood). References to tung oil turn up as early as 400 B.C. in the writings of Confucius. Chinese sailors used it to waterproof their ships' timbers, and mixed with mortar it is still used today to caulk boats.
Linseed oil that is not "boiled" will not "dry". The un-boiled Linseed Oil is used to make window glazing putty because it stays pliable for a long long time. Glazing putty needs to stretch and shrink with the temperature swings.
Boiled Linseed Oil mixed with fine crushed limestone was used by the old-timers to fill nail and knot holes in wood. It will withstand the weather well in exterior applications.
@Don Rad: Thank you for taking the time to share this info. I found it very informative and helpful.
What citrus solvent do you use?
@@Daniel-ob7et D-Limonene from Pro Supply Outlet
I use raw food grade flaxseed (linseed) oil on all my knife, axe and tool handles. It does polymerize (dry)...but it takes days to weeks depending on the weather. Put it on hot in very thin coats. No toxic chemicals to worry about...and it leaves handles feeling soft and smooth unlike any other finish I've ever used. I use it on anything that touches food, or comes in extended direct contact with bare skin.
Once the flaxseed oil has been removed from flaxseed, it goes rancid quickly when exposed to the oxygen in the air. This is why it is sold in health food stores in the refrigerated section in small dark brown bottles. It has something to do with the high Omega 3 content and free radicals. I'm not making any judgements here, one way or the other, because I've never used it. But it is something you might watch out for. As long as you are not eating your tool handles, it should be safe.@@Master...deBater
Barns are traditionally red because a hundred or more years ago, paints were not widely available. Farmers used BLO and added ferrous oxide (rust) to discourage insects and fungi, which turned the mixture red. BTW, as you probably know, despite its name, boiled linseed oil is not boiled. Keep the great info coming!
In Scandinavia they traditionally used ox blood for painting their wooden buildings with. It's fairly bizarre when you think about it, but one of the reasons for doing so was because people were very poor back then, especially those who lived in the countryside, and by using their' blood for paint they literally used each and every part of the cows after they were slaughtered.
@George Vinson Boiled linseed oil is generally not boiled but chemically treated. You can, however, make boiled linseed oil naturally by heating it-if you know what you're doing. It is extremely volatile when it gets heated and shouldn't actually boil but only come close. But look up woodbywright here on youtube. He makes his own BLO and paste wax. He has several excellent videos on his process.
Can you still get ferrous oxide?
If so do you know where?
That is the only problem that I have seen with using BLO outside is that it does seem to get fungus if it is in an area that doesn't dry quickly
Don't forget if you get a small dent in your wood put a damp rag over it and use an iron to raise the grain of the wood back up. You may have to do a little light sanding and refinishing but it works great.
CA glue for the win! Cheap, easy to repair, durable, takes a shine, showcases the wood grain wonderfully.
I learned this technique from a dear friend who also happens to be a master craftsman. If you were to look up the definition of "Renaissance Man", his face would appear. Rocking chairs, custom lamps, hand made rice paper, stained glass, brews his own whiskey, etc. Completely Zen as well, gave me the self confidence to pursue my ambitions when he said, "You have all the skills, you just have to decide on what you want." One of the most profound realizations I have had in my 50+ years.
I turned a small piece of curly maple while I was visiting and used the very same technique to finish the project. The only difference is that he uses colored waxes instead of paste wax. I was stunned at how the piece turned out and my wife absolutely loved it. Thank you for sharing this wonderful finishing technique 👍
I have since used it for several projects and have absolutely loved the results. The recipients of said gifts have been thrilled as well.
I look forward to using this technique on many future projects.
Be careful when disposing of your oil soaked paper towel or cloth. Sometimes if thrown in a bin and covered with other waste the organic oil can spontaneously combust causing a bin fire in your work area.
+1 I have seen it happen!
I’m surprised he didn’t cover that.
ABSOLUTELY! ...almost burned down my shop a few years ago that way. Luckily I was there and put out the fire. Soak them in water and tie them up in plastic bags.
Greasy rags are a classic of spontaneous combustion
It's not common sense that oils evaporate exothermically, especially when water evaporates in the opposite way. The what? This isn't 1939, most people don't handle piles of greasy rags.
Nothing beats elbow grease. (hand sanding)...As always, thanks for great content!..Thanks again, Stumpy!
I used BLO on a bench applied it with 320 wet & dry, great finish. The wet & dry works the finish into the grain, and gives it a nice matte finish.
Thinning the oil with mineral spirits for the first few coats (in decreasing amounts for each coat) can let the oil penetrate deeper. Was recommended by a professional canoe paddle maker.
Correct
Better yet dump the petroleum based and go to pure gum spirits....gum spirits are derived from wood it's the sap of gum trees distilled down.... works great on paper towel as tack rag to remove dust etc
@@jolllyroger1 totally agree!!!
Ok I messed up, what can I do to fix my cutting board I let a thick coat sit over night and yes, it’s gummie thick and sticky how can I save this board
@@nickmundo8265 I did this once (was soaking a long abused cutting board and forgot about it). It was with flax oil (the culinary non boiled version of linseed oil). As I recall I left it to completely harden (it took a long time) and then I sanded it and got decent results. It looked pretty bad during the process but eventually it looked ok. I think I maybe used 0000 steel wool toward the end (?) . It did have some areas where the sanded finish got stuck in the pores but I think I gave it a thin coat on top of all that and it seemed to diminish how bad these looked.
I have re-coated several times now as it was used and you can't really tell what happened- very pretty cutting board (and it was a dried up warping mess of a cutting board when I started).
Hope you have similar luck!
several years ago I finished some top bar hives with BLO & bees wax (combined in a small crock pot).
they still look good.
I once refinished a walnut rifle stock by making a vacuum chamber out of 4” PVC pipe and covering the stock completely with linseed oils, then maintaining 10 to 12 in/Hg vacuum for about a week, which pretty much ensured the oil penetrated the entire piece of wood to its core.
But the following week, I was wiping it 7-8 times a day EVERY day until it stopped weeping.
I then cured it in a 200F oven for about 9 hours and it is as weatherproof as a synthetic stock, but far more attractive, and the extra weight makes it a far more stable piece.
Nice, Thanks. Have been using Raw Linseed oil and Bees wax for softwood. As well as boiled linseed and Beeswax for hard wood. Use a hair dryer on low heat to melt the wax into the surface.
Why raw linseed oil for softwood and boiled for hardwoods?
Thank you for your ever interesting videos.
Two things: this type of coating requires future maintenance. Shellac for example does not. But indeed is a layer on top of the wood.
Also: linseed oil soaked cloths can spontaneously combust. So they should be rinsed or disposed of carefully. You don't want your workshop on fire.
I used shellac for the first time recently. I really like the mellow color and the hard finish.
You can keep linseed cloth in an airtight glas. It becomes even better over time.
I work at a furniture factory. They imprint this on new employees very strongly! As a traditional hand tools woodworker I knew this already, but it cannot be said too often! One of the halls of the factory burned down a couple of decades ago because of an employee not treating the used rags correctly.
Perfect timing! I have a project I’m working on, and this looks to be the finishing line.
An old wooden boat restorer recommends that the linseed oil be applied after being heated. I bought a small crock pot from a thrift store and tried it. The heated oil seemed to be absorbed faster and apparently deeper than at room temperature. One more thing, the linseed oil soaked rags are very susceptible to ignition, so dispose of them with care.
I like a coat of mineral oil, allowed to sink in, followed by a waxing made of mineral oil and white bees wax, melted togather in a microwave to create a creamy mix. I use this on the cutting boards I make.
When using linseed oil you should always mention the fire hazard rags drenched in the product pose, when crumpled up. Especially on warmer days scalding can occur in those rags, which eventually can lead to spontaneous combustion. Therefore, always leave rags used for linseed oil outside, and fold them out to dry, before you throw ‘m in the bin.
Truth be told, my neighbor and I used to collect waste vegetable oil for his converted diesel truck. One summer we spent the afternoon cleaning his garage up (he was a bit of a clean freak at times) and ended up having a large piece of cardboard that had some slight spillage of oil on it sit in the sun at the garage door entrance. Nobody seemed to notice but I happened to glance down about an hour into us cleaning and saw that the cardboard had burning embers that were working their way across the board. I called my neighbor and we were stunned to see this working its way across the cardboard. There was absolutely not ignition source anywhere except the sun. Had that been left alone I'll bet that would have been a blaze in short time. Yes it's not linseed oil but oil soaked non the less and the sun will start fires. I'll NEVER forget that day.
Working in an auto shop, we had a special air tight container for the oily-greasy rags. It was like a flip top trash can, that sealed air tight when the lid was closed. A sealed metal paint can works to store the oily rags over night, if you want to keep using them.
I did a laminated gun stock with tung oil. First I did it with just the thick coat and let it dry for a week, and 0000 steel wool and it came out to the most beautiful satin finish. It felt amazing too. I should have left it like that, but I went for another coat, and it came out a really nice semi gloss, but for a gun I should have stopped at the first coat. I like Tung oil now. Just have to really wait a long time for it to dry
I'm glad i've subscribed, i'm just get'n back into woodworking after 35 yrs and i need the basics explained to me, so a big THANK YOU ... 😃😃😃
Some people just make a lot of sense when they speak. What a great teacher!
I have an old wood table outside. It is in a covered area. I oil it on a regular basis, as needed. I love the look and feel. Any thoughts on products applied on wood used outside?
im not a wood worker but not afraid to make something. thees tips are very helpful.
True genius always comes dressed in simplicity. Thank you for this.
Stumpy, you're the best! Your videos simply never disappoint. I nearly always learn something new.
I think the key phrase “not a lot of protection”…lol. I’ve used linseed oil, tung oil, etc…I really like Shellac…but I now always put something more durable in top…another issue is the amount of ongoing maintenance to maintain these natural finishes…
Durability is only important if you cannot reasonably refinish the project. I like using shellac for food bearing surfaces because it's safe and easy to reapply due to the product never curing, so the solvent in the reapplication dissolves the old finish.
I don't know what it is, but I have never been able to get shellac to work properly. Or maybe I'm expecting too much. I've gotten it to look good initially, but things left touching the dried finish will "sink" into it over time, leaving a permanent impression in the surface. I'm afraid to even try it on anything important these days.
@@FirstLast-vr7es shellac can be soft…I always cover with Poly etc
When I was a kid on the farm we use to sand the house for painting and we would always linceed oil the bare timber before painting . We would even mix some of the oil with a primer coat , all the paint was oil based back then . Love the smell of it .
Sand the wood, wipe on the oil, buff the wax, Great relationship advice.
And now I know what I am going to finish most of my projects from now on.
Good stuff. Learned this same method in trade school 30 plus years ago. Also works with Tung oil.
Dispose of those rags or they will burn your shop.🇨🇦
I’ve scraped off the hard varnish hammer makers put on their handles. I use BLO and it feels amazing
Stumpy, I’ve been using a similar coating for a while now recommended from a good friend. It is an equal mixture of BLO, Tung oil, Teak oil and mineral spirits, followed up by a wax finish. I am very pleased with this method.
Clear and useful instructions. Now I remember my father who was not a carpenter using this same mixture to make wood look even more beautiful and help maintain it . Great video .
I've been using hemp seed oil mixed with beeswax for a food safe finish. Hemp seed oil does polymerize, so the final product is very much like blo+wax, but it does take ages to fully cure. I highly recommend it for food safe applications.
Why mix them together instead of doing oil first, then wax? Maybe that would reduce cure time.
@@SutchiroPete because I've essentially made a paste wax, it's 'dry' to the touch in a couple hours, so the cure time isn't a problem. It gets more durable as it dries of course, but during the cure time, it's not sticky or malodorous. Hemp seed oil alone wouldn't cure quickly either, but it would be both sticky and smelly during the cure, because hemp seed oil does go rancid. The beeswax seems to prevent that. There may be a better solution and I'd love to hear other people's experiments!
My favorite finish is boiled linseed oil, 2 coats full absorbed, light hand sand with fine grit, tack cloth dust off, then a few coats of oil based poly for actual protection. Looks amazing if you like a natural look like I do, while still being durable.
A finish that is hard to mess up, you say... perhaps even foolproof... you have my attention. All kidding aside, I am a devotee of the church of BLO. I haven't tried the wax part yet, so this will be fun. I have a project I am finishing right now and plan to BLO, so it will be a perfect chance to try out the wax.
Watco Danish oil is my go to for large projects while my self-made shellac is my go to for anything smaller than amazon shipping box then wax on as a final coat unless it's a high polish. I want to try the rubio mono-coat and the other well known ones, but they're just a bit to expensive for my taste.
Watco Danish oil is my go-to for most of my wood projects. I like formby's tung oil you can get a nice protective finish with a few coats and a little bit of sanding in between.
I use mineral oil and bees wax. It seems to be very similar to what you are explaining but the two are blended together to make a paste.
I usually take the linseed oil and mix it half and half with paint thinner. It takes a few more coats but if you let it dry for a day between coats you don't get that stickiness.
I made my own cutting board finish using 50/50 beeswax and carnauba wax then 4 to 1 ratio with food grade mineral oil and finish with a couple of ounces of lemon essential oil as an antimicrobial. It gives me a beautiful finish and a hard wax that I also use on my jointer bed, drill press table, wood handle screwdrivers, and other tools. I use that stuff on everything.
I'd encourage those of you who are curious about trying different finishes to also try raw linseed oil. I especially like using it for things like cutting boards or handles of things that you handle with your bare hands a lot because you can get food grade oil that gives you an extra assurance that it does not have toxic components added to it.
Most all boiled linseed oil unless it states otherwise uses chemical driers that are somewhat toxic (there are several brands that offer BLO that is supposed to be free of those and is food safe). According to a manufacturer I talked to years ago even some raw linseed oil has chemical separators in it and they told me not to use their raw linseed oil on bowls, cutting boards etc that would be used for food prep.
I buy a high quality culinary "flax seed oil" from Barleans (linseed oil is from the flax plant). It's expensive enough that you don't want to use it on big projects but for small cutting boards etc it's not bad.
The downside is that it is PAINFULLY slow to dry and even more so if it is put on thick. But that downside is also an upside in the sense that it is so slow to cure that it has lots of time to soak deeply into the wood.
I know a guy who was friends with an older British guy who was trained as a woodworker way back in the day when wooden hand planes were used commercially and he wouldn't use anything but raw linseed oil on his planes for exactly that reason. If he was rehabing a wooden plane that had been abused he would turn it on its end so the wood grain was vertical and put it in a container with a half inch of raw linseed oil and let it sit there and slowly pull the oil up through its fibers and apparently it would suck quite a bit up.
Anyway , you really need to have somewhere clean to let it sit for weeks or even a month. But once it cures it is a beautiful and great finish. Once you get the wood penetrated well the first time and cured all it needs is a thin coat now and then which will cure much more quickly (though still slower than other finishes)
Hi, may i know your experience of the raw linseed oil? i would like to to use raw linseed oil to oil my untreated pine dining table. However, how slow is it for the oil to dry? Cos I certainly need to use the table and can't just keep it there for drying. What is your experience please? Couldn't find much info about raw oil. Most of the people use boiled oil. Thanks a lot!
Thank you. I dislike synthetic finishes but didn't really know how to apply any natural ones. I'll use this on my next project.
I love the fact that different finishes have different outcomes and values to them. I went with shellac for my mitre saw station (oak veneer fire doors as the bench tops), and used that same product for the first coat of my mobile project table (1/2" plywood base under 3/4" MDF), using a satin finish poly as the finish on the MDF. What a gorgeous, tough work surface.
Such a different story if you're working with actual fine wood though.
Again, great job James. The result you get is exactly what I want on my projects. I find other finishes I have used to be fraught with complications. This is perfect! Thanks!
I have tried, on mahogany, using pumice with oil. I thin the oil with mineral spirits, apply to the surface, then sprinkle on a little pumice. I used a scrap of the same wood to rub the pumice in. This seemed to fill the grain well and has remained smooth after a few more oil applications.
Iwatch all of your vids, but i Always enjoy watching your vids like this James..
It is important to keep the used rags with linseed oil in a sealed or fireproof container, or even soak them in water, as they can self ignite. This happens because boiled linseed oil goes through an exothermic reaction when it oxidizes and if bundled together, it can produce enough heat to ignite paper towels, sawdust and other flammable materials.
I know it's probably common knowledge by now, but it feel it's something that should be said, every time boiled linseed oil is used, because it really is a hazard and one that can really catch you by surprise.
I just lay mine down on concrete or drape them over a trash can edge. The danger just comes from them being balled up and covered up not allowing the heat to leave.
A few years ago up here in Vermont, a 5 million dollar, 8k square foot house got burned down, the week before the owners were going to move in. The floor-finishing crew filled up a few plastic trash containers with linseed rags, and left for the night.
@@Roct3874 also an excellent way of doing it!
I was wondering about this as I was watching the video. Thanks!
Agreed. I came to comments to give this warning also. Any oil soaked rags can spontaneously combust if piled up.
I go up to 1500 and use Maloof’s finish- 1/3 boiled linseed, 1/3 danish oil and 1/3 polyurethane with up to 6 coats to get a mirror finish. Let it harden up for a month then wax. 😍
If anyone is a beginning/amateur woodworker, I encourage you to use oil finishes whenever you can. Film finishes inevitably yellow over time (even the "non-yellowing" kinds) and cloud the surface grain of the wood. The oil requires a little more upkeep, but it will showcase all of your hard work.
I'm not aware that acrylic can yellow. One of the highlights of acrylic plastic is that it does not yellow unlike other plastics. Are you finding that polycrylics are yellowing anyway?
@@scottyhehehe5367 I have yet to find film finish "clear" that does not yellow over time. About 12 years ago I did a 5 year-long test with white sample boards, and cleared them with "uv-resistant" clear wood finishes. By the second year all of them had turned straw color, and by the 5th year they were all tan/muddled light brown. This is a known problem in the flooring industry, where small carpets are places in front of large sliding glass doors. Over the years, even if the best uv-resistant finishes are used, the area under the carpet remains undamaged/darkened, and will not match the rest of the floor when the carpet is moved.
Yes. One of my few go to finishes depend on the result I want. Boiled linseed and paste wax. I’ve been using Minwax finishing wax for over 50 years. Some finishes I’ll only wax, some only oil. But I like both.
@@keithmarlowe5569 not sure. You would probably have to check the label from the manufacturer. It’s usually beeswax carnuba and parafin wax blended in some form. They might add something to facilitate drying. Some are food safe, so perfect for wooden cutting boards and utensils. Wax will seal very well on its own to a point but not like poly. But I feel the finish is much richer than poly. Hope that helps
I use those but I have a thing for laquer. Been around a long time too. So attractive to me. True the oil finish can let you feel the wood.
I'm a Bee keeper and so am fortunate to have Bees wax. I finish all my projects with a home made polish.
Great video thanks! I often use a finish which I make by melting beeswax in Linseed or Mineral oil, it really soaks in well and leaves a super smooth lustre too!
Do you use boiled linseed oil beforehand on the wood before that mix? I see a lot of people use boiled linseed oil but doesn’t pure tung oil offer more protection from water? Have you ever tried mixing tung oil with beeswax? I think I’d like to experiment with that.
Thank you. It is worth noting that BLO is a lot more readily available and often cheaper than Mineral Oil and can be used in much the same way.
BLO is a great looking low key finish. Easy to manage and maintain.
Years ago after fixing an antique hutch/sideboard door, I had to reapply the second oldest finish known to cabinet and furniture Makers:. The equal parts of BLO, beeswax, and turpentine, warmed and blended in a double boiler affair.... Electric heat I seriously add!!! The British had Wax pellets for "tinting" the color of the finish. Applied "hot" or, good and warm with a boars bristle brush gave a great finish back to the old sideboard.
It was a pain in the back side, etc. I haven't used it since. I may if I make a period piece, other wise it's BLO or anything modern!!!
I have made quick water resistant finishes by rubbing the wood with paraffin wax (from a block or plain white candle) then going over it with a heat gun. The wax melts and immediately sinks into the wood.
Just did this EXACT finish a week ago on a ukulele I made. I was a little unsure how it would hold up, Good to know I didn’t mess it up.
We opened a new Waldorf school in my town when my kids were little and built all the furniture desks and things and we used olive oil and beeswax which looks like that paste and it was wonderful on the wood and the lasted to this day, which is 30 years
May you expand more on your experience with olive oil + bee wax combo for wood finish? How did you apply it, how many times, etc? Thank you!
Hey, even I can do that! Another great video how-to. You cover the essentials in a clear, understandable, useful way. Watching the sanding video is definitely a good matching with this one. Together they make for a simple and foolproof way to put a beautiful finish on a project. I agree with you fully - nothing features the beauty of the wood like this finish! Thanks for another excellent (pair of) videos!!
my grandfather taught me to use what he called a jeweler's finish, shellac flakes dissolved in denatured alcohol and raw linseed oil. I still have some bowels I turned on a lathe with this finish after > 60 years.
I just needed to know how to do a “touch-up,” you squeezed it in right at someone’s bitter end (5:39 - 6:00). Thank you, this video was a blast! Certainly added perspective towards of the slew of similar negative comments, overwhelmed with anger at their ‘finished’ results (a lot of ‘wood never drying, and rancid gassy fumes’ 🫣😬). While others ‘finished’ splendidly.
See ya!
Well, going to watch the ‘sanding tutorial’ first.
I remember an old saying about oil finishes. It went apply the oil once a day for a week, once a week for a month, once a month for a year, and once a year forever. I've tried it for a few pieces, and it works, but it's not fast, and it's not easy.
I heard the same , but it started once per hr for day
Since paste wax was not in the picture 5000 years ago, what did they use? Even the linseed oil? I actually anticipated an actual "formula" that was basic and effective back in the day.
Why do you think they didn't have wax 5000 years ago?
@@StumpyNubs I don't think that, they certainly didn't have it out of a can. What waxes did they use? You expertly explained the process, thank you!
This and your shellac video are great. You’re an excellent teacher.
You can also use linseed oil to make waterproof tarps and clothing--the traditional "oilcloth". Just make sure to dry it with lots of ventilation, because as others have mentioned oil soaked rags can heat up and pose a fire hazard.
Thank you for this clear and simple explanation of finishing. I do have a couple of questions. Is this finish appropriate for a plywood workbench top? After applying the linseed oil, how long should you wait before applying the paste wax? How does this compare with using a hardwax oil finish? And finally, could teak oil work as well as linseed oil? Thanks, Liz
I used boiled linseed oil and wax on the kitchen cabinets I made for my home. Granted, it looked good when it was initially done. The problem is wax requires constant maintenance. The odds are you’re not going to do it. At least not as often as it needs to be done. I finally stripped all the wax using alcohol and refinished with polyurethane. I am much happier with the polyurethane look.
As a French Polisher I agree with you. One will otherwise end up with a sticky mess. See the message below yours.
I'm going to be finishing some kitchen cabinets and drawers pretty soon. Unfortunately, I also have to remove paint/primer on some of them. The previous homeowners left it as an unfinished project.
Thanks for such in depth explanation on using oil finish. Now I know why my project took a long time to dry (at last). Best, Serge
This is interesting. Its very similar to another old finish I have been using for years. Using pure turpentine and real bees wax, you melt the wax and dissolve it in the turpentine while stirring. 1/3 of wax per volume to 2/3 of turpentine. You can dissolve more wax or less wax, depending how thick you want it to be. If it is runny enough it will penetrate fairly well. Then you can use a shoe brush to give it some shine after it is dry. If you increase the wax to turpentine ratio, you can also get a paste, which doesn't penetrate much though.
I was taught this exact method 40 years ago by an 85 year old antique dealer in Spain. I love the smell of it.
Thank you for the recipe. Do either of you use boiled linseed oil or tung oil before using that mix of turpentine and beeswax?
@@mick2spic I don't, it is hard to find a substance more amazing than beeswax to protect the wood. But that doesn't mean it is bad to use oil first. I follow the principle the simplest, the better. Not because I am lazy but for the people who come after me, if they need to restore the wood artifact. The less variables the easier it would be to restore a piece. But that is just my opinion. I just don't know if the oil will interfere with the beeswax over longer periods of time so I don't risk. Linseed oil oxidizes and becomes more acidic over time, which has a negative effect on cellulose, for example on a canvas. That's why oil painters should protect their canvas from their oil painting with some primer or base for the canvas. But that effect might be totally insignificant on a wood surface. Linseed oil also darkens and takes a more yellow tone over time (like decades).
@@AlBarathur Thanks for t he knowledge. I didn’t know that linseed oil had a negative effect on cellulose. I heard about it will make wood darker over time. I was leaning to use tung oil instead for some projects because of that darkening and because it’s supposed to have some water resistance. There was some other comments on this video of a couple others who do mix linseed oil and beeswax.
I was thinking maybe I’d try tung oil and beeswax. But maybe I’ll give your nice sounding mix a try. Turpentine sounds like a better quality mineral spirits, do you think so? What brands of turpentine and beeswax do you like?
Do you use your mix on everything? How does it hold up on tables? If you tried it on there? Thanks
@@AlBarathur And do you apply it like a wax? And how does it make the wood look? Thanks again for sharing
A blend I use is 1/3 turpentine to 2/3 linseed oil. This penetrates faster than straight linseed oil.
I will try your blend. Simple yet effective.
I make my own paste wax with carnauba, bees wax, and boiled linseed oil! I’m going to try this from now on!
My Dad was a great fan of boiled linseed oil but I discovered Tried and True Danish Oil and much prefer it. Tried and True is a polymerized linseed oil that I much prefer to boiled linseed oil. You can recoat in 8 hours. I do three coats and often stop there but if I want to add a wax I use beeswax plus Danish oil paste that I make myself since, as a beekeeper, I have lots of pure beeswax to use.
Even though I don't have a shop to work in I still love watching these types of videos; I had to chop the mortis better for a door striker plate so the door would actually close correctly and it made me long to just have a piece of wood to chisel on some more... Hey James, would you do a video on whitewash wood finishes? It was my dad's favorite when he was alive (he was primarily a carpenter that specialized in making custom kitchen cabinets).
using this concept for a teak shower bench...it looks great
I finish walnut gun stocks with linseed oil and mineral spirits. I wrap a partial sheet of 200 grit sandpaper in a 1 1/2" x 3" firm rubber block. Not hard, but stiff enough to bridge and protect softer layers in the grain pattern. My first application is the 200 grit paper and a 50-50 mix of Boiled Linseed Oil (BLO) and Mineral Spirits (MS) sanding with the grain. Once I have the sanded the entire stock with one pass, I let the stock sit for 15 minutes and then wipe the oil off ACROSS the grain. The I set the stock aside, in a manner that allows the entire stock to dry evenly, for 48 hours. From there on I use the same technique but adjust the percentage of BLO and MS down by 10. 60 BLO to 40 MS. I also adjust the sandpaper to a grit that is 200 finer. I continue that reduction pattern of the oil to MS and sandpaper size. All steps are sand with the grain, rest 15 min, wipe across grain, dry for 48 hours. At 90-10 I use 1200 sandpaper. Then I go to 95-5 BLO and 1600 paper. After the 95-5 48 hour dry step I do one more sanding with 100% BLO. After that step and 48 hour dry I simply work 100% linseed oil in with my hands for about a half hour warming the oil and the wood with my hands. Again a 15 minute dry and wipe, this time with the grain. This is a two week project with 7 sanded coats and one sealed coat. The depth of the finish is incomparable. Be it a gun stock or another project it is worth the time and patience. I have also seen this done with hard maple with similar results.
Thanks James!!!! Yet another great video!
Fantastic, James! Thanks!!! 😃
Stay safe there with your family! 🖖😊
Question for you Stumpy: from what I can tell, most paste waxes are a mixture of wax and oil (usually raw or boiled linseed oil) with some sort of solvent (like turpentine). Is this true for the wax that you're using in the video? So essentially, you're adding extra oil on top of the dried/drying oil. I assume you put the first layer of oil on to really soak into the wood.
I have not heard of proprietary waxes containing oil. Especially not raw linseed oil.
I've found the best wax isn't a commercial product but a natural beeswax polish I learned to make from my Dad, who learnt it from his Dad. The beeswax penetrates the wood to seal it and with a couple of coats forms a natural surface polish
Beeswax melted into turpentine (not white spirit) is an ancient recipe. Experiment with the proportions until you get a consistency you like. It doesn't matter about dust in the air, either. A couple of coats and a bit of dust is the start of a patina that you only get on old furniture that's been polished over several decades.
I knew it! We both love to wax our wood! That must be what draws me to your videos so strongly; waxing wood!
Wait! That came out wrong!
Eh, screw it I actually really do love waxing my wood and I don’t care who knows it. I have used the famous yellow cans (pink or tan inside) and every citrus organic beeswax amalgamation available and I will definitely be using more. It’s an honest game changer. Nothing makes someone smile faster than “feeling grain” through a wax finish. (I know it’s a stretch but that’s what people say when you hand them a gift with a wax finish)
Thank you as always James!
-CY Castor
If you fail to wipe off the linseed oil enough, and end up with a gooey film, no problem! Simply wet some 0000 steel wool with mineral spirits, and rub the film out to a liquid, then you can wipe it off. This happened to me, and after the steel wool and mineral spirits treatment, it turned out awesome. Spend a lot of time rubbing the oil in, and spreading it from the less absorbent parts of the wood to the more absorbent. End grain will often soak up an astonishing amount of oil. Just keep piling it on.
I like Danish Oil too. If you like to sand between coats however, be sure to wait at least a week before sanding (may vary depending on environmental conditions), or it will instantly clog up your sandpaper. Even then, use light pressure and clean your sandpaper often using a belt sander eraser (this work on your sanding block too). Using this method, you can get as much luster as you want by adding more applications. With six applications or more, sanding in between, you can end up with a gloss finish. It takes several weeks, but it’s impossible to screw it up, and a little dust is no problem, except for your last coat only
Tung Oil is the method that we use..... for 20-30 years now.... It goes on like paint, by brush, a fine scuff between coats, and there's a finish you'll love.
Raw linseed oil doesn't suffer this, but boiled linseed oil can and has autoignited in rags. It goes through its curing process when exposed to air, which causes it to heat up.
Thanks for sharing with us James, great information you shared. Stay safe and keep up the good work and videos. Fred.